


Under the Mistletoe Moon

by Lumendea



Series: Guardians of the Universe [6]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas, Christmas episode, F/M, Gen, Romance, Timey-Wimey, ninth doctor (mentioned) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2016-01-06
Packaged: 2018-05-05 13:44:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5377409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumendea/pseuds/Lumendea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose Tyler is unpacking for her next school year when the Tenth Doctor arrives to whisk her away on a date and he thinks Christmas on the planet Mistletoe sounds perfect. Yet there is a shadow over the planet even on the night that marks their 500th anniversary and an old friend reenters Rose's life to make things a bit more complicated. </p><p>This is a Christmas special episode for the Guardians of the Universe series and is story 5.5</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Date Night

Under the Mistletoe Moon  
By Lumendea  
Chapter One: Date Night  
  
Disclaimer: Still don’t own Doctor who and gain no income from this story.  
  
………………………  
  
Rose Marion Tyler was moving around her flat in Cambridge with a resigned slump to her shoulders and a bored sigh escaping her every few moments. The trash can was filled with used cleaning wipes from cleaning up the weeks of grime and dust that had built up during her summer absence. She glanced into her bedroom and chuckled at herself.  The suitcase was still packed up and waiting on her bed. She hadn’t even opened it yet.  
  
Moving over to the desk, Rose set down her laptop and plugged everything back into place. She turned her attention to the new stack of school books on the corner of the desk and the print out of her schedule. Spending a few minutes at her bookshelf, Rose shifted the older books that she didn’t need anymore, but kept as reference down a shelf and began sliding the computer science and physics books into position based on class time.  
  
Going back to her bedroom, Rose resolutely opened the suitcase and began to pull out the items she’d taken with her for the summer. There wasn’t really that much: her favorite jeans, some favorite shirts and of course her journal gently packed near the bottom. She pulled it out and looked at the rose on the front. Already the journal was beginning to show signs of wear and she had no doubt that in time it would look like an old tome. Flipping open the journal, Rose slumped onto the bed and began looking through it. She was already a third of the way through the journal. Some pages were nothing but drawings of the TARDIS or a landmark she had visited. A couple of pages had drawings of aliens from memory and notes scribbled about the species. There were several drawings of her various Doctors, even a few of those that she had met thanks to crisscrossing timelines.   
  
A wave of nostalgia swept over Rose and she turned the journal to the first page. She’d started off by recording her first meeting with the Doctor. Well in her timeline anyway. She’s only been eleven years old and at the time it had been years between that meeting and her getting the journal from the Doctor and yet…. It was all there. Those early adventures were locked in her memory, they were seared into her and a part of who she was. Of that Rose had no doubt, the Doctor, aliens and the knowledge that there was so much more had shaped her.   
  
She flipped through the pages with a small smile, chuckling at the memory of her triumphs and sighing at the reminder of her failures. It was always hard when there were people that she couldn’t save, always hard when she knew that at best she had managed a stalemate. There were so many filled pages. Things had been relatively quiet for the first few years of her life, but then everything had exploded. She’d met up with so many of his former companions and gained good friends in them. She’d actually started an out of sync relationship with the Doctor be it in his Tenth form. Adventures with UNIT and while traveling kept her on her toes almost monthly and she was aware that the Guardians had some sort of plan for her.  
  
There was so much already tucked away in this journal, this tiny little record. It was a guide and at times as scorecard for the mess of her timeline. She’d met her future husband for the first time when she was eleven and he’d met her for the first time back in his first body in Rome and many time in between. They’d have children in the future, she’d already held her first infant child in her arms and knew what Astra would look like as an adult. The last few pages filled with notes on the Black Sun and Eclipse as well as a drawing of the Ninth Doctor as she’d last seen him.  
  
“Last year of school,” she whispered to herself. “You’re almost there and then you’ll be off with the Doctor.”  
  
The Ninth Doctor, though, her brain reminded her sternly. Mister tall, leather jacket and blue eyes.  A reversal of situations: she was now in love with him and he… well, she wasn’t sure actually. Sometimes she got the sense that he felt something stronger than mere affection for her. Sometimes she fancied that on some level he might already be in love with her, but then she’d scold herself. He didn’t know her that well yet, not really, but they’d get there.  
  
As if summoned by her thoughts about him, Rose heard the wonderful familiar sounds of the TARDIS echoing through her flat. A strong wind was wiping around the living room, but everything was currently weighed down or still packed away. Rose moved over to her desk with a wide grin and waited as the familiar blue police box materialized in its usual spot. The doors of the TARDIS opened revealing a beaming brown haired Doctor with bright brown eyes wearing his usual pinstripe suit. His long coat was slung over the TARDIS railing and Rose caught only a glimpse of it as he stepped out into her living room with a smile.  
  
“Hello Rose,” he greeted warmly, moving over to her and wrapping his arms around her.  
  
“Hi Doctor,” she managed to get out before he kissed her.   
  
Time went a bit wobbly like usual when he kissed her and Rose relaxed against him with a soft sigh of contentment. Her fingers found their way into his messy brown hair.   
  
“How about a trip?” the Doctor asked as he ended the kiss.  
  
“Yeah,” Rose breathed as her brain tried to switch back on.  
  
“Great! Grab your stuff,” the Doctor cheered, releasing her waist and jumping back.  
  
Rose’s mind re-engaged and she realized what she’d agreed to. Judging from the grin on her significant other’s face he knew that she hadn’t been fully aware when she’d agreed. Shaking her head, Rose tried to look stern but failed. With a soft laugh, she dashed back into her bedroom. She took off her translator and left it on top of her dresser and snatched up her superphone and the sonic pen. Rose took a few moments and brushed her hair back into a low tight ponytail. It was a style she was finding herself using more and more often now, an echo from her other life.  
  
“Weather?” she called out to the Doctor.  
  
“You can use the wardrobe,” he reminded her, coming to the doorway of her room.  
  
“But I’m in my room right now,” she reminded her.  
  
“Winter,” he told her with a smile, looking too pleased with himself. “But not too cold.”  
  
“Alright,” Rose agreed as she pulled one of her warmer coats out of the closet, pulling on the long crème coat. She also grabbed a pair of black gloves and a red knit hat, shoving them into the coat pocket before taking the Doctor’s offered hand. “Let’s go then.”  
  
“Has someone been bored?” the Doctor teased taking her out to the TARDIS.  
  
“You haven’t taken me on a date for a while,” Rose pointed out with a smile.   
  
“You just dealt with Black Sun,” the Doctor replied as the TARDIS doors closed behind them and he raced up to the controls.   
  
“That wasn’t fun, though,” Rose protested with a slight pout. “It was worrying and frustrating. Stalemate.” Rose sighed and shook her head, looking over at him. “It was hard knowing how worried I could be about you then. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”  
  
An odd little smile crossed the Doctor’s face and he nodded. Rose could tell from the way he focused on the controls that he wasn’t going to tell her anything, but the soft expression on his face reassured her that it wasn’t anything bad. Maybe her early curiosity about his feelings for her at that time wasn't too far off.  But this wasn’t the time.  
  
“So Doctor,” Rose asked, leaning against the console and gripping it tightly as the TARDIS began to shake. “Where are we going?”  
  
“Someplace I’m quite certain you’ll enjoy!” he answered with a wide grin.  
  
The TARDIS shuddered and Rose’s knees buckled for a moment before they came to a stop. Laughing, the Doctor jumped down the ramp to his coat. He shrugged it on quickly and held his hand out towards Rose. She had been considering pulling on her gloves, but instead smiled and took the Doctor’s hand with her own. He pushed open the doors and they stepped out into a soft inch of snow. Rose exhaled and watched her breath dance in the air amongst softly falling snowflakes. Using her free hand she pulled on her knit hat and looked around eagerly.  
  
They were in a back alley surrounded by sturdy looking brick buildings. It was dark but there was a warm glow to the right of them and the Doctor gently pulled her in that direction. Looking up Rose could see only a faint hint of unfamiliar stars and two moons: one spherical and the other a trapped asteroid that looks like a potato.  The sound of music, voices and laughing echoed down around them. It was a happy and festive sound that made Rose smile and look eagerly at the Doctor. He was grinning and as they stepped out into the bright lights he beamed at her.  
  
They were standing at the edge of a large out open square fully decorated for Christmas. A massive evergreen tree was set up in the center of the square on a round stage with strings of lights wrapped around if, hundreds of brightly colored ornaments of all different shapes and tinsel hanging on the branches. Around the edge of the square were street lamps with strings of colored lights strung between them in layers of light. Small metal firepits were set up throughout the square with people warming up beside them, a few people toasting marshmallows over them and helping light up the square. Rose could smell different sorts of foods and could see food carts scattered through the square.  
  
“Welcome to Mistletoe,” the Doctor informed her with a laugh. “A human colony ship, the Mistletoe made an emergency landing here five hundred years ago on Christmas Day. It was over thirty years before anyone picked up their signal, but by then the colonists had made this their home. As you can imagine Christmas is a rather major holiday here.”  
  
“With a name like Mistletoe I can imagine.”  
  
“Well it was named after the ship, but everything came together rather splendidly. They pull out all the stops on Christmas. The rest of the year they are a fairly regular agriculture and mining planet. They aren’t on a major trading path, but they do alright. Nothing too special, but they throw great parties. It’s pre-dawn now and they’ve already started celebrating. Today is their 500th anniversary as a planet.”  
  
Squeezing his hand, Rose and the Doctor started making rounds of the square. He rambled on about the history of the little planet that had managed to build itself up from the remains of its ships, colonial supplies, and 500 settlers.   
  
“This is actual the capitol: Hope Landing where the ship landed,” the Doctor explained. “Since it was winter and they couldn’t contact help they lived in the ship while building some basic shelters.”  
  
“Did they have a lot of problems?” Rose asked, thinking back to some lessons on the colonial period from school.  
  
“What? No, not really, they had supplies and while the planet was colder than the one they were intending to go to, but they had enough food to get them into summer. The planet had enough native vegetation and animals to get them to harvest season. They even had a school system established within three years.”  
  
“Wow… no disease or anything?”  
  
“Well… the flu bug they brought with them underwent mutation gradually and became a real problem roughly 380 years ago, but they had a high enough population and medical knowledge that it wasn’t too much of a problem.”  
  
“Ah so we’re really just here for some culture,” Rose said slowly, looking around at one of the light displays. To their right was a side street that was brightly lit from shop windows and headed into another square that was almost glowing as well. “Any suggestions then?”  
  
“Mum?” a familiar voice asked from behind them. “Dad?”  
  
Rose tensed up and tried to keep the Doctor from turning towards Astra, but she wasn’t fast enough. Grimacing, Rose looked at Astra with wide warning eyes, trying to signal to the younger Time Lady that this wasn’t a good idea.  
  
Astra’s brown eyes widened for a moment as she took them in. Her future daughter looked older than the last time Rose had seen her; her brown hair was just past her shoulders with a soft retro curl and she was wearing a green sweater beneath a brown bomber jacket with jeans a pair of heeled boots. Yet the worry vanished from Astra’s face quickly and she smiled, a smile that Rose had come to recognize as being a lot like her own. She heard the Doctor sharply inhale and Astra chuckled softly.  
  
“Let’s try this again,” Astra remarked with a laugh. “Happy Christmas future Mummy and Daddy.”


	2. Doctor Meet Daughter

Under the Mistletoe Moon  
By Lumendea  
Chapter Two: Doctor Meet Daughter  
  
Disclaimer: Still don’t own Doctor who and gain no income from this story.  
  
………………………  
  
“Let’s try this again,” Astra remarked with a laugh. “Happy Christmas future Mummy and Daddy.”  
  
“What?!” The Doctor gasped, his jaw going slack as he stared at Astra. “What?” He looked over at Rose, noting that she looked uncomfortable but not shocked. “What!?” he questioned, this time his eyes focused on Rose.  
  
“Uh Doctor this is Astra,” Rose introduced cautiously, watching his face go strangely pale and tight at the same time.  
  
“Astra Fortuna Tyler, though I tend to go by Wolfe,” Astra explained with a far too amused smile.   
  
“Wolfe,” the Doctor repeated weakly, looking towards Rose again. “You…. You knew about her?!”  
  
“I have a complicated timeline,” Rose protested with a sheepish look, her eyes wide and begging him to understand. “But yeah I’ve known Astra for… awhile.”  
  
“How long is awhile?”   
  
“I’ve known she was our daughter for a few months,” Rose informed him, slipping her arm around his with an uneasy smile. “I was shocked too, Doctor, but it’s okay.”  
  
“Mum is right, Dad,” Astra cut in gently with a soft sweet smile that made the Doctor's eyes jump back to her. “I know about timelines and this is going to be just fine.”  
  
“Are we here?” the Doctor asked tightly, looking around in vague alarm. “Why can’t I feel you?”  
  
“I have a sort of temporal shield,” Astra explained patiently, taking a sip of something in a mug. “It’s minor, but it prevents Time Lords out of synch with me from detecting me.” She paused and then added, “And no you aren’t here. I have my own TARDIS and she brought me here. I suspect to meet you.” Astra laughed and continued, “She’s a bit like her own mother in that.”  
  
“I have a daughter,” the Doctor said slowly, his eyes fixed on Astra. “I’m a father again?”  
  
The Doctor was swaying slightly as the shock of the situation settled on him. Rose gripped the Doctor’s arm to keep him upright and gave Astra a begging look. She wasn’t sure if she wanted the girl to leave or stay and help calm him down. Of course, she remembered her own shock in learning that Astra was her daughter, but the Doctor…. Rose doubted the possibility had ever even crossed his mind.   
  
“Yeah,” Astra told him softly with soft eyes that looked so much like her father’s.   
  
She stepped forward and handed her mug to Rose.   
  
Then, moving very slowly so the Doctor could stop her if he wanted, Astra raised her fingers to the Doctor’s temples on either side. Rose watched silently as the pair stared at each other before their eyes fell closed. A ragged breath escaped the Doctor and he shivered. Then he raised his own hands up to Astra’s head and fit his fingers against her temple. Rose stayed at his side, watching the ritual with soft eyes. There was a small part of her that was jealous about the connection that Astra was able to provide the Doctor with, but it was held in check by the part of her that was terrified of having someone in her head and the overwhelming rush of adoration for the both of them that almost made her knees buckle.   
  
“You are…” the Doctor breathed out as he opened his eyes and looked at his daughter. “A miracle Astra Fortuna Tyler.” He moved his fingers off her temple and brushed a strand of brown hair from her face. “You are so beautiful, you look like your mother.”  
  
“I think she looks more like you,” Rose offered softly, reaching over to take the Doctor’s hand as it fell to his side.  
  
“No,” he protested, still not taking his wide eyes off of Astra. “She definitely looks like you.”   
  
Smiling, Astra opened her arms a little in invitation. The Doctor took it in a heartbeat, pulling his future daughter into a tight hug. A raw sound escaped his throat and Rose stepped back, releasing his hand. Automatically the Doctor brought it up to cradle their future daughter’s head. Tears prickled at Rose’s eyes as she soaked in the scene. Then Astra shifted back from her father, detangling herself from the hug. The Doctor shook his head again and the awed expression on his face faded a little as he cleared his throat. Stepping back, he shoved his hands into his pockets.  
  
“How are you possible?” the Doctor pressed. “Rose is a human? The genetic engineering-”  
  
“Nope, sorry I was uh… old fashioned way,” Astra offered with a slight blush and a chuckle.  
  
“Not possible… except… oh,” the Doctor breathed and then his whole head turned as he was suddenly looking back at Rose. “Of course,” he laughed to himself. “I’m an idiot.”  
  
“Sometimes,” Astra agreed which made her father look back at her and she laughed. Then her expression softened. “It’s going to be fine Daddy.”  
  
“I’m going to be a father again,” the Doctor repeated, looking a bit ill.  
  
Astra’s smile softened and she nodded, holding a hand out to her father. Rose moved back over to them and wrapped her arm around the Doctor’s as he caught Astra’s hand. They were attracting a few looks, but the natives all seemed to think they were merely a family reunited for Christmas. Though, Rose had to admit to herself that Astra looked more like her sister than daughter at this time. Then again… she hadn’t looked much older after that whole Gateway of the Sun thing. Shaking her head, Rose pushed her curiosity away for the time being.  
  
The ground suddenly rumbled and the people around them screamed. The Doctor gripped Rose’s hand tightly, keeping her next to him and pulled Astra closer to them. Looking around, Rose tried to see what was happening even as the tremors caused her, the Doctor and Astra all to go down on their knees. The buildings were swaying, but nothing was falling apart and then it was over. The world stilled for a silent moment before the voices and nervous chatter of the people began to fill the streets.  
  
“Odd,” the Doctor said with a frown as he jumped up, pulling both Rose and Astra up with him. “This region of the planet shouldn’t be geologically active.”  
  
“That wasn’t supposed to happen,” Astra observed with a small smirk, looking around at the people climbing to their feet. “It seems that our TARDIS had a reason for bringing us here.”  
  
“Of course there is something,” Rose chuckled as she looked around the festival. A few fire pits had fallen over, but the hot coals had been extinguished in the snow. There was one food cart that was overturned, but a crowd of people was already setting it right.   
  
“So what is going on?” Astra pressed as she pulled herself away from her future father and looked around. Both she and the Doctor were on high alert as they studied the area around them. Rose swung her eyes upward and tensed as she caught sight of it.  
  
“Doctor,” Rose called around a soft gasp. “Doctor!”   
  
“Rose?”  
  
She raised her hand and pointed up into the sky where a long sleek silver ship was visible in the light of the moons. It was large and gave Rose an ominous feeling that she couldn’t pin down. They watched it for a moment and the locals quickly became aware of it, pointing up at it in surprise.  
  
“Uh, they have spaceships come here, right?” Rose questioned with a frown. Uneasy at the reactions around her.  
  
“Course,” the Doctor answered quickly. “But not ships like that.”  
  
“That’s a Bartalion cruiser,” Astra explained with a frown identical to her father’s on her face. Rose suddenly wondered how she had known Astra for years and yet never recognized who she really was. “What in the world would they be doing here?”  
  
A strange beam of light shot out of the ship, but not at the planet. Instead, it hit the moon, causing it to glow a soft yellow color for a moment. The ground began to shake once again and Rose fell against the Doctor who caught her and held her steady. Astra gripped a nearby wall and kept looking up at the ship with a deep frown.   
  
The shaking stopped and the Doctor straightened up, looking right up at the ship with a furrowed brow and a sharp angry expression.  
  
“That’s not good.”  
  
“They’re using a gravitational beam on the moon,” Astra continued, looking equally enraged.  
  
“Disrupting the larger moon’s orbit,” the Doctor added with a nod. “It’s affecting the planet.”  
  
“It’ll cause more quakes until everything is shaken apart.”  
  
“Oh god there’s two of you,” Rose gasped, her eyes moving between them with a stunned expression. This earned her a sheepish look from Astra and a startled look from the Doctor who quickly turned his attention back to Astra, looking marveled by her again. “Uh anyway, why would they want to do that? Are these people at war with the Bartalions?”  
  
“No, there shouldn’t even be Bartalions in this sector,” the Doctor observed, looking back at the ship which was moving away from the moon a little bit. “So what are they doing here and why are they stopping?”  
  
“Overheating their engines,” Astra suggested without missing a beat. “That’s a Class 3 Bartalion Cruiser, looks great and very impressive interior design, but their engines couldn’t sustain the use of the really fancy toys all that long. They’re going to have to shut down, restart and play with the moon over a couple of hours.”  
  
“Still doesn’t answer why they’re doing this,” Rose pointed out, looking around at the people once again looking very shaken up and trying to put things to right. “These buildings are solid, but they won’t stand up forever.” She worried her bottom lip as she looked at the crowds. “People are going to get hurt if we don’t stop them.”  
  
“You’re right,” the Doctor agreed. “We need to get up to that ship.” He grabbed Rose’s hand and turned to look around. “The TARDIS is that way.”  
  
“Or mine is right there,” Astra offered, pointing with her thumb over to a small shed up against the side of a brick building. It looked like it belonged there and Astra grinned as a look of surprise took over her father’s face. “Shall we?”  
  
Before the Doctor could respond, Astra reached over and snagged Rose’s other hand, tugging her along down the alley. Up close Rose could see a small keyhole in the door of the shed that was gleaming a bit more than it should have been. She watched as Astra pulled a long chain from around her neck and slipped a key into the hole. A moment later she pulled open the door and gestured them inside with a smirk and a small bow.  
  
“You have a TARDIS,” the Doctor finally managed to say. There was a hint of disbelief tilting towards hysteria in his voice.  
  
“Course I do,” Astra chuckled, clearly enjoying the surprise on her future father’s face. “I am a Time Lady after all.”  
  
“How?”  
  
“TARDIS starts to seed while Mum is expecting me. You set up the seeds on a nice little-protected planet,” Astra explained with a lazy shrug. She gestured to the door again even as she put her hand affectionately on the exterior of her TARDIS. “We were born for each other really. Now, come on, Bartalion cruiser messing with the moon enough to shake the planet.”  
  
“Right,” the Doctor agreed quickly, still looking dazed as he stepped into Astra’s TARDIS.   
  
Rose followed him with a small smile at her future daughter. Astra’s TARDIS had changed a lot since the last time Rose had been inside of it. The sterile white color had faded into a sort of heather color: mostly grey, but with a hint of something else. While the console controls and column remained in the middle of the ship, there was now a gallery above them that ran around the entire circular room. There were bookshelves, a massive clock and an easel with a half-finished painting of a galaxy visible from Rose’s position. There was an old fashioned looking armchair latched to the railing around the main controls. One the grey walls were the visible pattern of the old circles and Rose wondered how long Astra had been traveling to have her TARDIS so personalized.  
  
“How old are you now?” Rose asked, looking over at her future daughter.  
  
“About 50,” Astra answered with a smile and a shrug. “Time Lady, age slower than humans.”  
  
“I figured that,” Rose replied with a slow nod. “It looks nice,” she informed Astra looking around. “Much more you.”  
  
“Well last time you saw it we were both still very young,” Astra reminded her. “Only had the console room and one store room then. She’s grown a bit more, personalization is possible.”  
  
“Sorry,” the Doctor cut in looking between them. “How do you two know each other?”  
  
“I attended school with Mum at Horath Academy for a bit,” Astra informed him with a laugh. “And we’ve had a few adventures,” she explained as she flipped a few levers on her console. “But she only recently found out that I was your daughter.”  
  
Rose gave the Doctor a weak shrug when he stared at her. Leaning over she kissed his cheek softly and gave him another apologetic look.  
  
“Sorry,” she whispered, “But you know… timelines.”  
  
“Yours are a mess,” the Doctor muttered, sounding a bit irritated. “Don’t you ever do anything in order?”  
  
“Sure, just nothing that involves you,” Rose replied, unable to help her cheeky smile.  
  
The Doctor smiled at that and breathed out. He shook himself slightly and tentatively looked back at Astra before moving over to the console.  
  
“Right, Bartalion cruiser where it shouldn’t be and absolutely doing something it shouldn’t,” he announced as he reached for a lever only to have Astra jump in front of him and flip the switch instead.  
  
“My TARDIS,” Astra reminded the Doctor with a smirk. “I’m driving.”  
  
“It’ll be smoother with two,” the Doctor pointed out.  
  
“My TARDIS is young,” Astra replied with a roll of her eyes. “She’s not even 100 yet, trust me it’ll be fine. Just a quick jump.”  
  
Rose laughed at the look on the Doctor’s face and walked up to him. Threading their hands together, she looked up warmly at him. The Doctor sighed and let Rose pull him back from the controls and they settled in the armchair with the Doctor fidgeting as he watched Astra at the controls.  
  
The TARDIS shuddered slightly as they dematerialized and a moment later there was a soft thump as they materialized with a soft groaning sound echoing around them. Rose couldn’t help but smile at Astra and looked down at the Doctor to see he was doing the same.  
  
“Well, shall we save the world?” Astra asked, jumping towards the doorway with a beaming smile.


	3. Next to the Moon

Under the Mistletoe Moon  
By Lumendea  
Chapter Three: Next to the Moon  
  
Disclaimer: Still don’t own Doctor who and gain no income from this story.  
  
………………………  
  
Stepping out of Astra’s TARDIS, Rose took stock of their surroundings quickly. They were in a large room filled with piping, humming machines and glowing pillars that were pulsing in time with the vibrations of the ship. It took her a moment to gain her space legs as Rose hadn’t spent much time on moving ships, but she quickly rebalanced herself as the Doctor examined a nearby panel. Astra came out of her TARDIS and closed the door with a soft click.  
  
Rose looked back at the new TARDIS and watched as its appearance blurred for a second before it suddenly looked like a new tall terminal of computers. Looking at her daughter in confusion, Rose softly asked,  
  
“How do you get in?”  
  
Smiling, Astra pointed at a small keyhole just visible on the back corner of the terminal and slipped her key into it. A glowing seam appeared and the TARDIS’ surface appeared to stretch though Rose swore its actual size didn’t change.   
  
“Interesting,” she admitted with a nod as Astra pulled out the key.  
  
“It’s okay,” Astra assured her. “I know you will always like Dad’s TARDIS best.”  
  
“We must be in the engine room,” the Doctor murmured as he looked around and pointed to a large control panel. “Fully automated, though there are supposed to staff at those two stations.”  
  
“Especially with the engines running so hard,” Astra agreed, stepping up next to her father. “Understaffed maybe or wrong priorities.”  
  
“You’d have to be mad not to have to keep an eye on your running overtime engines a priority.”  
  
Rose kept an eye out as the two Time Lords examined the reports. Astra outright giggled at something and the Doctor chuckled at her, looking down at his daughter with a warm surprised look that Rose didn’t think was going to go away anytime soon. He raised his eyes and looked over at Rose with a softness in his eyes that was unfamiliar.   
  
“Nothing here that we don’t already know,” Astra huffed drawing the Doctor’s attention back to her. “Orders are being sent from the bridge into the system directly.”  
  
“But why haven’t they got anyone keeping watch on the engines,” the Doctor asked as he looked up at the layers of piping and wires. “Bit on the foolish side.”  
  
“We need to find a memory terminal, we’re not going to find out what’s going on from the engineering controls.” The Doctor shook his head. “But why is there no one here, that just seems off.”  
  
“Maybe there is a problem elsewhere,” Rose suggested as she looked around. “But if you need to find a terminal then now would be a good time to go looking wouldn’t it.”  
  
“Right, good point,” Astra agreed with a sheepish nod. She pointed towards a door on the far side of the engine room. “How about that way?”  
  
“Might as well,” the Doctor replied with a little nod, stepping ahead of Astra and moving to the doorway.  
As they walked out of the engine room and into a long very grey and bland corridor, Astra gave Rose an exasperated look and Rose just gave her an encouraging smile. The Doctor was probably going to be horribly protective today and just as she thought that, Rose caught the Doctor glancing back at Astra. It seemed that he wasn’t willing to have her in front, but also didn’t like not being able to see her. He always walked into the curving wall before she grabbed his arm and stopped them in front of a door.  
  
“Might as well start here, yeah?” Rose suggested, gesturing to the door.   
  
As the Doctor pressed the button at the side of the door, Rose was tensed up and ready for there to be slacking workers on the other side of it, but the room was empty. They were in some sort of viewing gallery with a series of large windows on the side of the side looking down on the planet. Rose moved to them automatically and gazed down at the small planet. They were so close to the surface that she couldn’t see all of it, but Rose could see line of light on the surface below. To the right where a hint of the sunlight was still visible, she could see a blue ocean and there were hints of white scattered over the surface of high mountains. A soft sigh escaped Rose and she glanced towards the Doctor to see him smiling at her, his apparent distress and confusion temporarily forgotten.  
  
“Found something,” Astra called over from her space in front of the computer. “The ship belongs to Prince Hubert Augustus Aurelius Connors of Septia V,” she told her father as he quickly moved over to her.  
  
“He should be deposed by now,” the Doctor murmured as he read the entry, shifting close to Astra so he could see the screen. “What’s he doing here?”  
  
“He probably is deposed,” Astra pointed out. “Like we said this is an impressive looking ship, but far from the best in its class.”  
  
“Ah an exile then,” the Doctor agreed with a nod. “I encountered another exiled prince in my fourth body on Ribos, Graff Vynda-K. He was most unpleasant.”  
  
“That was while looking for the Key to Time wasn’t it?” Astra questioned without raising her eyes from the data screen as she checked over the available information.  
  
Rose looked at the Doctor and caught the look of surprise on his face before he pressed his lips and nodded, clearly surprised at Astra knowing that detail. Rose was once again struck by the desire to take a photo of them together. She thought she heard something in the corridor, but the door was closed behind them.   
  
“Yes, I believe it was. Bit of a mess really.”  
  
“Your bedtime stories always were exciting,” Astra chuckled earning her another look from the Doctor as Rose held back a giggle and a grin. “Yeah, Prince Hubert was about to be crowned king when a coup against him toppled his government and put his cousin King Albert on the throne. He fled with a small fleet, only three ships, but the computer lists two of them as destroyed already. Can’t see what from.”  
  
“I really can’t imagine why that should concern you,” an accented male voice behind them announced.  
  
Rose spun quickly to find a small group of soldiers standing in the doorway. Her eyes widened in both alarm and irritation at not having heard them. There hadn’t been any footfalls or maybe she’d just allowed herself to be too distracted by Astra and the Doctor. Rose wasn’t willing to take her eyes off the soldiers and relaxed when the Doctor and Astra moved away from the terminal to join her. Then the Doctor slid his hand into hers and Rose relaxed a little more.  
  
She took in the soldiers quickly, they were dressed in dark navy uniforms lined with gold and buttons. They were all males and looked very similar and each of them had small ribbons over their hearts like the Earth uniforms that Rose was familiar with. She was less familiar with the strange spear like weapons they were carrying which were clearly technological with small panels and buttons near their hands.  
  
“Stowaways,” a tall man with rough grizzled features announced as he stepped forward through the soldiers. Judging from his voice, he was the one who had spoken moments ago. His uniform was more elaborate and he had a series of fancy golden ropes hanging off his shoulder. “You will explain when, where and how you boarded this ship.”  
  
“Just now, from the planet below and not telling,” Astra told him with a charming little smile before she sighed. “Captured in less than ten minutes, that’s a bit embarrassing.”   
  
“Your ship is destabilizing the moon in orbit of this planet,” the Doctor said quickly, stepping in front of Astra and drawing their attention to him. Rose saw Astra sigh and roll her eyes at the protective gesture, but she said nothing. “If you continue this then you will cause untold damage to the planet.”  
  
“More than simple stowaways then,” the officer announced as he looked at them, his eyes lingering on Astra and Rose for only a moment before he focused on the Doctor. “Take them.”  
  
Astra looked towards her father, but he made no move to resist the soldiers as they crowded around them. Rose glanced back at one of them as he pushed her forward. The spears in their hands were clearly some sort of tech up close and she could see the faint glow of circuits beneath a layer of plastic. Her hand twitched automatically as the urge to summon her sword rose up sharply in her, but Rose held it back.  
  
“What are we doing?” Rose asked softly as they were directed to the door.  
  
“Finding out what is going on,” the Doctor replied in a whisper, an easy-going smile on his face. He didn’t look too worried and Rose nodded slightly.  
  
“Doctor-”  
  
“Be silent woman,” the guard next to her grumbled as they were marched out of the room and down the hallway.  
  
“Septia V is very patriarchal,” the Doctor whispered to her. “Will be for the next hundred years or so until Queen Marina comes to the throne.”  
  
“Oh lovely, chauvinists in space,” Rose muttered earning a soft chuckle from the Doctor.  
  
“Pretty much yeah, their founders chose to model their society on the medieval romances, minus the bad hygiene and lack of medicine.”  
  
“So what… medieval times with space ships?”  
  
“There are stranger worlds,” the Doctor remarked as they turned yet another corner. “Trust me on that.”  
  
“Silence,” the officer snapped, giving them dark looks. “You will be silent unless spoken to and you will answer his Majesty’s questions without delay.” A nasty smile appeared on his face. “If you fail to comply… well then we may have just the one ship, but it has a fully stocked dungeon.”  
  
The threat hung in the air, but neither the Doctor nor Astra seemed all that concerned. Instead, the Doctor was glancing around lazily and taking note of the technology and layout of the ship. Astra, on the other hand, seemed to be observing the soldiers and their odd spears. Between the two of them, they’d probably have the whole system figured out by the time they reached this Prince. She just hoped that they didn’t get in each other’s way.  
  
At the end of the corridor was a large set of double doors with guards on either side. They nodded to the officer and the doors slid open with a hiss that was almost like the Star Trek sound. Rose couldn’t’ help but smile and the Doctor glanced her way with a barely repressed grin. They really were terrible she decided as they stepped out onto the bridge.   
  
The bridge could double as a throne room with the controls and pilots tucked into a lower level underneath a metallic bridge that crossed from the doorway to a platform right in front of a large window that looked out over the planet. There was a large chair positioned like a throne that was turned away from them.   
  
“Sire, we found stowaways in one of the viewing rooms,” the leader of the soldiers announced.  
  
“Really Admiral?” a male voice in the chair questioned, sounding bored. “Interesting.”  
  
The chair turned, revealing a series of controls on each of the armrests and the figure seated upon it.  He was tall with striking attractive features and a charming smile. With dark wavy hair and bright green eyes and dressed in a cross between a formal suit and a military uniform he looked a bit like a Prince Charming out of a story book. Rose, however, was not impressed.  
  
“Your Highness,” the Admiral greeted with a deep bow. “The intruders from the planet, Sire,” he explained before giving them a disdainful look. “I present to you His Royal Highness Hubert Augustus Aurelius Connors Rightful King of Septia V.”  
  
“Except you aren’t King,” the Doctor observed calmly, his hands in his pockets. “Why is that?”  
  
“You’re a brave fool,” the Prince huffed though he was smirking slightly and waving back the Admiral who took a threatening step towards the Doctor. “I am the greatest warrior prince in the galaxy.”  
  
“I don’t tend to equate warrior with great personally,” the Doctor responded.  
  
“How did you get on my ship?” the Prince pressed. “And do answer me properly. I’m rather bored and a spot of torture is just the thing to entertain me.”  
  
“Teleport,” the Doctor answered lazily. “We’re not from Mistletoe, we were just visiting.”  
  
“Mistletoe… what a ridiculous name.”  
  
“Wait you’re trying to destroy them and you don’t even know their name?” Astra interrupted with a disbelieving look. “What are you after?”  
  
“I own the planet,” the Prince informed them imperiously, looking far too smug and amused for Rose’s taste. “A thousand years ago one of my ancestors added the deed to this planet to the family’s estate. I may be… unwelcome at home right now, but I still have my monetary inheritance.”  
  
“Then why try to damage the planet?” Rose demanded, straightening up and glaring at the man. “What are you doing here?”  
  
“Imagine my surprise to discover that there are squatters on my planet,” the Prince continued, completely ignoring Rose. “Really, it is in such bad taste.”  
  
“They crashed here,” Astra told him with a stern look. “Colonization for survival is covered and allowed under galactic law.”  
  
“Yes, but the paperwork was never filed,” the Prince cheered with a nasty grin. “There’s nothing, absolutely nothing in the records establishing this as a survival colony.”  
  
“They’ve been here five hundred years,” the Doctor argued. “They have trading contact, people know they’re here. This isn’t some little unknown planet that you can pretend didn’t exist.”  
  
“No paperwork filed and I have legal rights over the planet,” the Prince answered smugly, tenting his fingers in front of him like a classic movie villain. “Oh people will talk certainly, there’ll be calls against him for cruelty, but let’s be honest the galactic bureaucracy won’t get around to doing anything for at least a century. I’ll be dead before they do anything more than condemn my actions.”  
  
“And this will help you how?” the Doctor pressed.   
  
“Sire, please allow us to rid you of these ingrates,” the Admiral huffed, glaring at the Doctor.  
  
“Oh no,” the Doctor huffed, shaking his head at the officer. “I’m truly curious as to why you’d risk being labeled a world killer. The bureaucracy now may be slow, but other cultures and planets won’t make life easy for you.”  
  
“The planet below has Jethrik,” the Prince announced with glee. “Once the moon’s gravity starts to rip the planet apart it will be a simple task to harvest it. With that kind of load of Jethrik all those cultures and planets will need me, Doctor.”  
  
“Just like Graff after all,” the Doctor sighed. “So this is about killing one little insignificant planet to gain a large amount of a very valuable mineral that will bring in trillions of credits.”  
  
“Money is just a stand in for power Doctor, but it is a good one,” the Prince informed them with a smirk. “But you can see the beauty in the plan.” He leaned forward and eyed them. “You are a threat Doctor, you and your women, I can see that.”  
  
Rose saw the Doctor stiffen and so did Prince Hubert who nodded to himself. “One warrior to another it seems, I can see it in your eyes. I’d offer you a chance to work for me, but I can tell that would be in vain.”  
  
Staring at the Prince with surprise, Rose wondered what it was that he saw. The Prince said nothing more and nodded to the Admiral who smirked. A moment later the guards grabbed them all, pointing their spears threateningly at them and hauled them off the bridge.


	4. Make a Plan

Under the Mistletoe Moon  
By Lumendea  
Chapter Four: Make a Plan  
  
Disclaimer: Still don’t own Doctor who and gain no income from this story.  
  
………………………  
  
The guards manhandled them out into the corridor and started them moving down a sloping floor. Rose noticed that there were no stairs in the ship and seemed to be no lifts. Everything was arranged on floors with sloping ramps between them and bridges across the corridors.  The effect was rather intimidating for a stranger and she imagined that it would be easy to get lost. Of course, it might also be rather easy to lose pursuers.   
  
Glancing at the Doctor, Rose tried to get a sense of what he was planning. Right now he looked very calm, but as thy passed a window his posture tightened.  Astra glanced at her future father and then suddenly spun round, bringing her elbow up to the solar plexus of one of the soldiers.  Rose summoned her sword and in one fast movement cut the tips off of two of the long spears.   
  
Bringing her elbow back sharply, Rose connected with the man’s stomach and heard a satisfying grunt of pain. She caught a glimpse of the Doctor disarming one of the men and doing something to his neck that made him suddenly slump over. Rose remembered quickly that Benton had remarked in the past that the Doctor was an experiment in some sort of Venusian martial art, but she’d never seen him use it. Honestly, at the time she’d dismissed the notion that she’d ever see the Doctor physically fight someone in the aftermath of the Time War.  
  
But his eyes were on Astra, burning with something as their future daughter disarmed another soldier. Rose saw another one moving in the corner of her eyes and with a quick flick of her sword destroyed his weapon. The guards were down in a rush of movement as Astra shoulder threw the last one before pressing on a point at the bottom of his skull. They were alone in the corridor, but a moment later an alarm over their heads began to sound.  
  
There was a dark thunderous expression on the Doctor’s face, the Oncoming Storm brewing over the plans of Prince Hubert. Rose felt an odd twinge of sympathy for Hubert having to face the Doctor like this, but she understood his rage. It was Blon all over again: someone killing an entire world for a bit of profit. Astra grabbed Rose’s hand before she could stew on her train of thought too long.  
  
Racing down the corridor, Rose and Astra followed the Doctor as he ran up one of the sloping bridges and crossed over the lower corridor. Behind them, she could hear the sound of footfalls and shouting mixed with the high pitched whine of the alarm. The Doctor opened a doorway using the sonic screwdriver and they were off down another grey corridor. They ducked into a side room and the Doctor had his sonic screwdriver out in mere moments. With a soft whirl, the door was sealed and Rose heard pounding against it as she and Astra stepped back.  
  
“Now what?” Astra asked, sounding a touch out of breath, but that may have been from irritation more than anything else. “We’ve got to stop them, but if we shut down the engines completely the ship will fall from the sky. Even if they all escaped the ship wouldn’t all burn up and the debris could cause a lot of damage.”  
  
“Yes,” the Doctor agreed, running an agitated hand through his hair. “Prince Hubert isn’t going to listen. I was hoping that he might not be aware of the civilization below.” Astra gave her father a doubtful look and he sighed. “Unlikely with the lights below yes, but on Gertivar V there are natural formations that glow in the dark and create the illusion of cities below.”  
  
“What was that about paperwork?” Rose questioned, taking a step over so she was standing next to the Doctor. “Is there something we can do through legal channels?”  
  
“The paperwork in question is a series of documents that declare a planet an inhabited world and the property of the sentient beings living on it,” Astra explained, nibbling at her bottom lip in thought. “It supersedes any prior property claim to the planet during this era. There are problems with it of course: people settling on a planet just long enough to gain the mineral rights, but that clearly isn’t happening here.”  
  
“And there isn’t any way to convince the Prince that this… jethrik isn’t worth it?”  
  
“Obliviously it isn’t worth all those lives,” the Doctor growled, “But jethrik is very rare and valuable, it powers the most common type of ion engines used right now.” He explained in a rush, “So we won’t be able to convince him.”  
  
“And bringing the ship down isn’t a valid option…” Astra observed with a frown. “Well I have an idea, but it is playing with time a little bit.”  
  
“We’re part of events now,” the Doctor reminded her with a sigh. “We can’t leave to go and file the paperwork in an odd place so it will be found in time.”  
  
“That wasn’t exactly it,” Astra told her father with a smile. “But really close.” Astra proceeded to pull a phone out of her pocket, it was small and gleamed in the light. Rose noted that it looked a bit more futuristic than her own. “But there are other people we could call outside of events to help with that.”  
  
“That’s-” the Doctor sputtered with wide shocked eyes. “That’s cheating,” he managed to finish, looking so surprised that Rose nearly laughed.  
  
A pleased smirk appeared on Astra’s face even as the Doctor struggled to collect his thoughts. Practically preening under her father’s astonished gaze, Astra showed off her phone for a moment.  
  
“Not really,” Astra chuckled as she hit a button on the phone. “I’m from your future remember Dad? Slightly larger support system in place rather than just the madman in the blue box.”  
  
The Doctor was staring at Astra, but she didn’t seem bothered by it. Astra toyed with a bit of her brown hair as her phone rang and Rose reached over to take the Doctor’s hand. He managed to turn his attention to her, reminding her a bit of a kicked puppy.   
  
“It’s a smart plan,” Rose pointed out gently. “We can’t bring the ship down without risking the planet and killing everyone on board. If someone else can go back and file the paperwork, hide it so it doesn’t influence Hubert and then come forward in time to now and help them find it then this whole thing can be shut down quickly. All we have to do is keep them busy in the meantime.”  
  
“I know- it’s just-”  
  
“There’s someone else out there able to help,” Rose finished gently with an understanding nod, squeezing his hand. “Well in the future you aren’t the only proactive Time Lord Doctor.” She gave him a soft smile that she hoped wasn’t too nervous. “After all, what else would children of ours be like.”  
  
Then he was staring at her again, that stunned look on his face as if he couldn’t quite believe she was real. It was an expression that she’d seen a few times and it never failed to make her blush. He was a Time Lord and a thousand years old and yet he looked at her… like that. Rose couldn’t even fully string her own thoughts together but did realize that she’d used plural for children. She hoped that the Doctor didn’t read into that too much. She really wasn’t sure if he could take knowing about Athena right now.  
  
“Yeah, exactly Jack,” Astra said drawing their attention back to her. “So can you help?” A look of relief crossed Astra’s face before she tensed and glanced towards her father. “Uh… no that’s not such a good idea. No, I know that Jack, but well… timelines.”  
  
There was a pause and Rose saw the Doctor narrow his eyes suspiciously at the phone while Rose wondered just when in the future Astra was calling Jack. Was he much older or did they have a weird temporal relationship too? Though, she realized, she really didn’t know if Jack even aged like a human. He certainly was unusual with his whole impossible to kill trick. Maybe Astra had known him since she born, that made the most sense as Jack had been with the Doctor on Demon’s Run according to Athena.   
  
Rose was pulled out of the odd train of thought when Astra ended the call and a loud thump on the door made the Doctor look at it with a hint of worry. Astra looked towards the door and her nervous expression fell away in an instant. Her features become serious and she looked back at her father, her shoulders squaring slightly.  
  
“Jack just teleported into the records office, he’s three hundred and fifty years ago. He’ll get the paperwork filed, make sure it gets misfiled and finish the loop on his end,” Astra announced with a small pleased smile. “All we have to do is make sure that Hubert can’t finish the job before the official message arrives.”  
  
“Keep them busy,” the Doctor agreed with a nod and he began looking around the room. “Just a tic,” he told them as she swept over to the side of the room and pulled out his sonic screwdriver.   
  
He pressed against a part of the wall and Rose frowned slightly until her eyes spotted the small seam in the wall. While most of the wall was one smooth shaped panel there was a small round cover over a low part of it. The Doctor was already moving the sonic screwdriver around it as Astra stepped over to join her.  
  
“You seemed a bit surprised about talking to Jack,” Rose observed quietly.  
  
“Actually I was trying to call Athena,” Astra admitted slowly. “But Jack picked up instead…. He sounded weird, even for Jack,” Astra confessed with a shudder and almost horrified expression.  
  
Rose’s brain suddenly stopped, jumping instantly into red alert mode as she saw the expression on Astra’s face. The girl didn’t seem to know if she wanted to look happy and disgusted.  Ahead of them, the Doctor was opening a panel with extra energy in his step.   
  
“Oh… uh, do you think…?  
  
“Unfortunately yes,” Astra replied with a shuddered. “Yes, I do.” She paused and then sighed in defeat. “I suppose that on some level it makes some degree of sense. Uncle Jack isn’t exactly normal himself. Athena’s always been sort of stupid around him too, I guess it was inevitable.”  
  
“Just… please tell me that Athena didn’t call him Uncle Jack,” Rose whispered with a pleading note in her voice. Part of her was already trying to figure out if there might be some way to actually threaten Jack and when she could threaten him about her eldest daughter.   
  
“No, that was a growing up in the TARDIS thing,” Astra answered quickly with a soft sigh. “I suppose from that standpoint I can’t really be irritated. Athena was full grown when Jack met her….”  
  
“Still,” Rose shook her head and rubbed her eyes. “Great the Doctor’s not the only one in future shock.”  
  
“Sorry,” Astra apologized sheepishly. “Hopefully my dear sister will understand that I don’t want any of the details.” Astra shuddered before chuckling. “And at least Dad can’t really threaten him too much.”  
  
“I’m sure your father could find a way to hurt Jack,” Rose said confidently only to have Astra smile at the idea.  
  
“Uh… don’t count on that.” Astra glanced her way and then added, “I suppose this gives you time to get used to the idea. It’s your approval that really matters on that one.”  
  
Before Rose could say anything in response to that the ship began to shake. The pounding on the door stopped for a moment as Astra and Rose struggled to stay upright.  Despite this Rose’s brain was stuck on the question of her almost brother dating her almost daughter. Though Athena actually had some of her DNA apparently too so she really was as good as Rose’s daughter. The shaking stopped and Rose took a deep breath to steady herself. A moment later she heard a hissing sound outside of the doorway and smelled a hint of ozone.  
  
“They’re cutting through the door Dad,” Astra called to him.  
  
The Doctor stumbled for a moment at the word, but nodded in his understanding as Astra crossed the room. Together they slid the round panel out of its snug position, revealing a long dark round opening. They almost knocked their heads together as both of them tried to bend over to look into the opening first. Rose almost laughed, shaking her head in amusement. As for Athena and Jack… well like Astra said: she had awhile to get used to the idea at least.   
  
“Come on! We need to get back to the engine room,” the Doctor called as she gestured to the opening.   
  
“Oh a ventilation shaft,” Rose laughed as she bent over to look down the long little tunnel. “Haven’t been in one of these since- never mind,” Rose said quickly, remembering that the last time had been when the Doctor’s next form had been supposedly dead and there was that mess at UNIT.   
  
“Not exactly,” the Doctor corrected, ignoring her statement. “Access tunnels, but it’ll do the trick.”  
  
“Come on then,” Astra called as she climbed into the tunnel first. “We’ve got mayhem to make.”  
  
Rose looked at the Doctor who was smiling softly and watched him shake his head. “Yeah… she’s our daughter alright.”  
  
“Afraid so,” Rose answered with a chuckle, following the Doctor into the small tunnel.


	5. Bureaucrats

Under the Mistletoe Moon  
By Lumendea  
Chapter Five: Bureaucrats  
  
Disclaimer: Still don’t own Doctor who and gain no income from this story.  
  
………………………  
  
Crawling through service ducts was not like it was in movies. Rose had long sense learned this and thankfully this service tunnel was much sturdier and didn’t shudder and flex around them. But there was still the ache that developed on the knees and the hands from moving for any real distance that was very much the same. Worse in fact thanks to the stiffness of the metal they were moving again. The tunnel was lit by small red lights every few feet that were fixed in indents in the tunnel.   
  
Every so often she could see the outline of another entrance into the service tunnels. There were panels of circuits around them and every so often the Doctor was pausing and making small adjustments. As the tunnel curved, Rose caught sight of Astra ahead of her father with a smaller version of the sonic screwdriver out and fiddling with a series of small buttons and wires.  
  
“Careful,” the Doctor cautioned her in a low voice. “We don’t want to bring the ship down.”  
  
“Yes Dad,” Astra sighed, sounding a bit used to his used.  
  
The service tunnel turned and branched off, but Astra kept leading them without any hesitation.  She wasn’t sure what the two Time Lords were doing and instead focused on trying to listen for sounds outside of the tunnel. It was difficult thanks to the thrum of cabling and pipes around them, but every so often she thought she caught a yell and people running. Whatever they were doing it certainly seemed to have distracted the ship’s crew as no one was ripping off the covers to reach them.  
  
Then Rose heard the sonic screwdriver up ahead and the small dim service tunnel suddenly became brighter. A moment later Rose flinched as a loud metallic rattle reached her ears as the tunnel cover fell out and onto a metal floor. It seemed to roll around forever, but then the smell of ozone hit her and she made out some creaking sounds. Astra clamored out of the tunnel and the Doctor was right behind her. To Rose’s surprise, there didn’t seem to be a pack of guards waiting for them.  
  
The Doctor turned to her quickly as he scanned the room one more time. Extending his hand, the Doctor helped Rose out of the service tunnel. They were back in the engine rooms and Rose could hear a bad sounding high pitched whine. She moved away from the tunnel and looked around for entrances to the area.  Several crewmembers in uniforms were rushing about nearby and for a moment she dared to think that they haven’t been seen. The crewmen pointed their way, looking over at them with frantic looks, but none of them left their posts. Computer consoles were displayed messages in mauve and there was a staticky computer voice.  
  
“Come on,” the Doctor called as he tugged on her hand. “They’ve got their hands full.”  
  
Rushing forward with the Doctor, Rose couldn’t help but laugh at the confused and frazzled looks on the facing of the crew. They dashed down amongst a maze of piping where Astra was using her sonic screwdriver to adjust the pressure on one of the machines while an alarm blasted overhead. The ship lurched, Rose and the Doctor both grabbed at a safety rail and Astra giggled as she grabbed onto a pipe to stay steady until the ship normalized.  
  
“Careful,” the Doctor cautioned, “We want to keep them from doing anything more to the moon, not make the thing crash.”  
  
“I’d suggest turning off the artificial gravity,” Astra announced as she gestured to a nearby panel, “But that might make escape difficult.”  
  
“A bit yes,” the Doctor agreed right before the sound of heavy footfalls echoed around them. “And time to move.”  
  
The Doctor kept tight hold of her hand as they began running through engineering. Every time they passed a member of the crew, they would point and shout as the trio rushed past. Astra paused every few seconds to flip a switch here and there on the controls and once she lingered so long by a set of controls that the Doctor stopped running. Behind them, the heavy footfalls of the soldiers were growing louder and the shouting in engineering teamed with the natural noises was turning the whole level into a dim.  
  
Ahead of them was an open doorway into the main corridor. They ducked under a low section of piping and Rose grumbled under her breath about it. Astra spun away for a moment and the Doctor pulled out eh sonic screwdriver, bringing them both to a sharp stop and he soniced a part of a nearby set of controls which whirled and began to spark. The ship was jostled again for a moment before he grabbed Rose’s hand once more. Astra was right behind them as they rushed out into the corridor.   
  
They came to a halt at the hallway in front of them filled up with a row of guards standing behind an enraged looking Admiral. Rose supposed letting prisoners run around a ship and cause havoc wasn’t exactly a good thing. She tightened her grip on the Doctor’s hand as the two groups marched towards them from both the front and the back. The guards surrounded them, spears pointing at their chests, but keeping more of a distance than before. Two of them were giving Rose uncertain looks and she felt a spark of satisfaction at their hesitation.   
  
“What have you done?” the Admiral demanded as he stormed up to them.  
  
“We’ve been busy running,” Astra informed him, cutting off the Doctor as he opened his mouth to reply. “You’ll need to be more specific.”  
  
The Admiral glowered at Astra and the Doctor looked a touch put out, but when the admiral turned his attention to the Doctor and repeated his question the Doctor gave him an unimpressed look.  
  
“I’m fairly certain that she already answered your question,” the Doctor told him with a small shrug.   
  
Rose tensed up, watching the weapons of the soldiers carefully. Getting cornered by trained military men wasn’t a common problem for her and for a moment she as really terrified that they were about to be shot. Instead, the Admiral glared at the Doctor and touched an insignia on his uniform which beeped.  
  
“We’ve recovered the prisoners, sir,” the Admiral announced in a tense voice. “Do you wish them destroyed?”  
  
“No!” the voice of Prince Hubert snapped, sounding irritable and a bit dazed. “Admiral we just received a call from Central Records! Bring them here at once!”  
  
Rose exchanged a look with the Doctor as the Admiral grit his teeth.  
  
“But sire-”  
  
“They’re spies for my enemies,” Prince Hubert insisted. “They reported us!”  
  
“Then surely we should keep them from being too close to your royal person,” the Admiral all but pleaded, but Rose could already see a shadow of defeat on his face.   
  
“I may need them, they must have started this! Hurry McMilliam, who knows how long they’re going to be transferring me!”  
  
Sighing softly in relief, Rose looked over at the Doctor who looked much calmer now, boarding on amusement. Astra was damn near smirking even as she tried to repress the smile on her face. Rose inwardly grimaced, keeping her Time Lords from being over eager and doing something foolish was clearly going to be one of the great challenges in her life.  
  
They were hustled back to the bridge which was smoking a little from a variety of machines. There was no sign of injuries amongst the crew, just frustration, and a little havoc. Perfect. Rose looked up at the large front windows where the Mistletoe moon and the planet below filled the space. Thankfully it and the planet below showed no obvious damage. Rose didn’t think they’d had the chance to shake the moon again and they still had to worry about potential Prince Hubert was standing at the side of the room glaring up a large screen where a woman in a uniform was sitting at a desk with a bored expression.  
  
“You are wasting my time,” the Prince snapped with obvious irritation. He was tense with fists clenched at his side. “I have no patience for the bureaucracy!”  
  
“Make time,” the woman replied with a vindictive little smile on her face. “You’re in violation of planet…” she looked down at something on her desk. “Mistletoe’s planetary security rights. We’ve received an official complaint about your actions in the area.”  
  
“I own the planet below,” the Prince answered carefully and Rose thought she saw a bead of sweat on his forehead. “I am within my rights to be above it.”  
  
“No you don’t,” the bureaucrat answered calmly.   
  
“What?” the Prince demanded with wide eyes. “That’s – that’s not true.”  
  
“I have the paperwork right here,” the bureaucrat intoned in a bored voice, half leaning on their hand. “Full paperwork detailing the initial crash on Mistletoe and request for the planet’s independence from prior ownership claims.” The bureaucrat yawned and shook their head to wake up. “It was signed and confirmed four hundred years ago.”  
  
“I checked that I had ownership!” the Prince shouted, his eyes wide and his whole body shaking. “I verified my inheritance only two years ago.”  
  
“Then your information was incorrect.”  
  
“I checked at your bloody office,” the Prince snapped, taking a threatening step towards the screen and bringing his hands up as fists. “What is this nonsense? I demand an explanation for this madness. I own the planet! It was part of my estate inheritance ten years ago! I’ll have your job for this madness.”   
  
“Sir I just work here,” the bureaucrat huffed, looking more alert and put out. “This is before my time and the paperwork was misfiled, but it is valid. Whatever you’re doing you need to stop now or else you’ll be found in violation of…” she looked down at something on her desk and raised an eyebrow. “Seventeen galactic laws.”  
  
The Prince looked back at them with murderous eyes before turning a bit calmer towards the screen. “What promoted this… review?” he asked calmly.  
  
“A complaint was lodged three weeks ago,” the bureaucrat answered with a yawn. “Proof of Mistletoe’s legal free-standing was uncovered and you are being informed of the findings.”  
  
“Three weeks?” Rose asked in a low voice, giving the Doctor a horrified look.  
  
“Shadow Proclamation isn’t at its most efficient right now,” her whispered back.  
  
“If you do not immediately leave the area then your disobedience will be filed with the Shadow Proclamation and we will alert the Judoon.”  
  
“You dare to-”  
  
“I advise you against taking that tone,” the bureaucrat answered giving him a dark look. “Or else you may find that there is a warrant for your arrest.” The woman smiled a bit evilly and added, “And I’m sure you know how… delicate the Judoon are when apprehending criminals.”  
  
“How… how could this happen?” Prince Herbert stuttered, looking towards the Admiral with a lost look. “I own-”  
  
“No you don’t,” the bureaucrat interjected. “You have been notified and if you do not leave the planet’s system within in the next ten minutes the Judoon will be summoned.”  
  
Face red with rage, Hubert lunged at the screen and put his fist right through it. Rose jumped back in alarm as sparks showered around the Prince. He spun towards them sharply, his eyes dark with anger.  
  
“Put them out the airlock!” He shouted to the Admiral before his shoulders slumped in defeat. “Then get us away from this damned planet!”  
  
He waved his hand dismissively and suddenly the weapons were close to them once more. The Admiral’s face was red with anger and he barked a set of orders at the soldiers who quickly escorted them out of the bridge. As they marched into the hallway, Rose heard the bridge door close behind them and glanced towards the Doctor. The ship jolted again and Rose spun around and kicked one of the guards. Summoning her sword, she slashed at the spear weapons and cut three more in half.   
  
Knocking the Admiral back against the wall, the Doctor shouted for them to run. Rose summoned her sword and spun around, slicing the weapons of the remaining two soldiers in half. As they sparked and the men jumped back in alarm at the sudden appearance of the weapon, Rose laughed and took off running down the corridor. The Doctor snagged her head and laughed right along with her. Just ahead of them, Astra turned a sharp corner and ran down one of the slopes. The doorway to engineering was open with wisps of smoke spilling out, but they ran inside.  
  
Engineers were moving around with almost frantic looks. Astra suddenly stopped and readjusted a couple of the controls right in front of them before giving them a sympathetic look.  Rose looked around the large room, trying to remember just where the TARDIS was. The problem was that Astra’s TARDIS blended in rather than being a distinct blue box. Thankfully the Doctor had a good spatial memory and pulled her around several of the large machines.   
  
There was a large control console in front of them and Astra suddenly raced up, pulling out a key. Rose sighed in relief as their future daughter used her key to make the door appear. The sound of heavy footfalls behind them reminded Rose that they had a date with an airlock. They rushed into Astra’s TARDIS with the Doctor flipping a lever on the console to seal the heavy white doors. Rose breathed a sigh of relief as Astra began pushing buttons and she and the Doctor moved around the controls quickly. The ship shuddered and a moment later Rose felt the familiar flutter beneath her feet of a TARDIS in flight. Then it was over and they had stopped.  
  
“Bureaucrats,” the Doctor laughed as he looked at Astra. “Not my best, but it worked.”  
  
“You can’t always be impossibly clever Daddy,” Astra laughed, leaning against the control and shaking her head in amusement. “Shall we get back to Christmas?” Astra asked them with a beaming smile as she threw one of the levers. Her TARDIS took flight with a shudder as Astra tossed her head back and laughed brilliantly.


	6. A Promise

Under the Mistletoe Moon

By Lumendea

Chapter Six: A Promise

Disclaimer: Still don’t own Doctor who and gain no income from this story.

 

………………………

 

Rose stepped out of Astra’s TARDIS onto a thin layer of fresh snow. Around her a soft breeze was a twirling falling snow around her and Rose could hear Christmas carols echoing down the alleyway. She moved away from the TARDIS and looked up into the sky. Grey clouds had rolled in, but she could just see an intact moon overhead and no sign of the ship. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Rose smirked to herself as she wondered just how quickly Prince Hubert had run with his tail between his legs.

 

The Doctor stepped out behind her and looked up at the sky with a small satisfied nod. Then he looked back over his shoulder into Astra’s TARDIS where she was checking the main column and adjusting the controls.

 

“Doctor?” Rose called softly.

 

“It’s a bit of a shock,” the Doctor admitted with a rather forced chuckle. “Imagine us having a child.” He coughed lightly as Astra puttered around in her console room, the door still open. “Suppose it will complicate things a bit.”

 

“Kids do that,” Rose agreed carefully, glancing towards Astra. “But we’ll manage. We may have to adjust things a bit; I could stay in the TARDIS with her until she’s old enough during trouble. We’ll work something out.”

 

There was a shadow in his expression. Rose couldn’t quite read it as he watched Astra before he turned to look at her. “Still hard to believe that I become a father again,” the Doctor told her. “I guess it means that you’ll stick around.”

 

And there it was. Rose fought back a flinch as she took in the skittish words, feeling a blend of dread and sorrow churning in her stomach.

 

 “Doctor,” Rose groaned and then sighed loudly. “Why can’t you believe me?” she questioned weakly, letting her hands fall to her side.

 

“I do believe in you Rose Tyler,” the Doctor rushed to assure her, reaching out and cupping her face. “Trust me. You are the thing I believe in most in this and any other universe.”

 

“I know you believe in me,” Rose whispered in return, tilting her head and kissing his hand. “But Doctor I'm asking you to believe me.” He frowned in confusion and Rose sighed. “I promised you several years ago, on Christmas no less that I wasn't going to give up on us.” She fixed her brown eyes on him and intoned, “I made my choice a long time ago and I'm never going to leave you.” Raising a hand, Rose set it on the Doctor's chest between his hearts. “Even if I'm not right beside you, even if events separate us it will always be temporary. It will pass because I will always come back to you.”

 

“Rose- it hasn't- it won't- once I… and you-”

 

“We'll have problems,” Rose continued with a nod. “You're a thousand years older than me and a different species from a very different culture. Of course, we'll have problems, but here's the thing Doctor: I'm permanent. I have been, am and will be a part of your life always. Since the moment you first met me in Rome in your first body until the last. I am a part of your life.”

 

“I know that,” he replied softly.

 

“No you don’t,” Rose insisted with a pained look, shaking her head and moving closer to him. “Which is why you need to listen right now. Yes, we’ve been separated, but who we are means that we stayed together through my younger self. That’s who we are. I meet you again and again in your past because that’s who we are. We will be together again, living and traveling together again soon. We will have a family together and will raise up a new generation of universe-saving Time Lords.” Rose looked him right in the eyes and told him, “I am permanent Doctor. Believe me when I say that. Don’t believe in me, believe me.”

 

She breathed out slowly, filling a weight slipping off her chest. Looking into his brown eyes Rose could feel her heart thrumming almost painfully. It was as always staggering what she felt for this madman who dashed around the universe in his blue box, but now…

 

The Doctor was staring at her as if he’d never seen her before. Rose pushed down the hint of anger that was warring with despair. As much as he loved her, the knowledge that on some level he’d always expected- still was bracing himself…. It was a horrible realization. Then she saw a hint of tears in his eye as he brought a hand up to caress her cheek. Rose felt a tear running down her cheek before the Doctor’s thumb brushed it.

 

“Rose….” He stopped himself and swallowed before he leaned over to next to her ear. Then he whispered a long melodic word that rolled off his tongue and burned itself into her mind. Rose gasped softly, suddenly certain that she’d be able to recite the strange series of sounds at any moment. She raised her eyes to the Doctor’s. “That’s my name,” he whispered with a soft blush on his cheeks. “I’ve… written it down before on notes to you, but well… that’s my name.”

 

“Oh…” was all that Rose could manage, the name singing in her mind.

 

“I can only tell someone that when I marry them,” the Doctor whispered. “So Rose Marion Tyler will you marry me?”

 

“Doctor,” Rose breathed in surprise.

 

“When you return from wherever you are now of course,” the Doctor added in a nervous rush. “We don’t have to worry about it now, but-”

 

“Yes, you daft Time Lord,” Rose laughed softly. “I’ll marry you.”

 

Grinning, the Doctor leaned down and kissed her. Time fell away, twisting and spinning away from them as Rose lost herself in this blissful reality. Then the Doctor slowly released her lips and Rose became aware of the Christmas carols playing in the street around them. Astra was watching them with a red face, but a silly happy smile on her face. Rose finally recognized that smile as her own and her heart flipped over in her chest.

 

“There Rose Tyler,” the Doctor sighed with a widening smile. “You’re the woman who is going to marry me.”

 

“Bit out of order,” Rose chuckled.

 

“When do we ever do anything in order?”

 

“You do realize this means that I’m going to be your fiancé the moment I start traveling with you,” Rose pointed out, watching an odd expression cross the Doctor’s face and barely holding back a giggle. “How does that make you feel?”

 

“Every much the idiot Jack always said I was,” the Doctor admitted, kissing her forehead. “And to think I thought that my feelings would pass.”

 

“Nope,” Rose retorted with a grin. “I’m permanent.”

 

“Yes,” the Doctor agreed softly, a look of awe on his face. “Yes Rose, you are. I believe that.” He kept his hand on her lower back, just holding her gently and Rose allowed herself to bask in his presence.

 

Astra was watching them with a soft serene smile, looking very much like everything was right in her world. Rose supposed that indeed it was and her heart felt like she could start floating at any moment. Then the moment passed and the young Time Lady suddenly perked up. A look of realization flickered across her face and a different sort of smile appeared on her face.

 

“Just hold on a moment,” Astra said in a rush before vanishing back into her TARDIS.

 

Rose glanced at the Doctor and shrugged. She reached over and took his hand, squeezing it gently. There was a strange sad expression on his face as he looked after Astra and wondered just what was going through his head. The silence in his head after connecting with his own future child…. She moved closer to him and rest her head against his arm.

 

“Here it is,” Astra announced as she came out of her TARDIS panting slightly and holding a black violin case. She held it out to Rose in both hands with a wide smile. “Happy Christmas.”

 

“Oh…” Rose whispered as she reached out with one hand and opened the case carefully. Inside, nestled in purple lining was a violin made of dark rich wood with golden detail work. She carefully lifted the violin out of the case and inspected the sides, giggling when she found a rose and vines decoration in gold running around it. “Wow,” Rose breathed, feeling a strange and unfamiliar itch in her fingers.

 

“It’s my Mum’s,” Astra explained softly. “Helped a violin maker last month and he offered it to me and I recognized it.” She chuckled and glanced at the Doctor who smiled and shook his head. “Promised myself I’d give it to you next time I saw you.”

 

“I’m a bit out of practice,” Rose laughed as she inspected the instrument. It felt strong, yet delicate in her hands and before she really thought it through, she’d brought the instrument up to her chin and plucked the strings carefully. “Given that I’ve never played the violin with this body.”

 

The Doctor and Astra laughed and Rose closed her eyes, shaking her head at herself. These were conversations she just couldn’t have with normal people yet completely made sense with her Time Lord family. Astra looked down at the bow and the Doctor was looking at her expectantly.

 

“I’ve only played around on the piano since I got those memories,” Rose protested, recalling all the hours of practice that the other Rose Tyler had put into her music. “I haven’t tried the violin yet.”

 

“Trust me you’ll master it in no time,” Astra assured her.

 

To humor them, Rose gently ran the bow over the strings basking in the smooth rich sound that filled the air. The Doctor smiled at her and his shoulder eased in relief. Rose met his eyes and gently played a few cords of Silent Night. Her fingers moved over the strings and seemed to know just the right amount of pressure. It wasn’t easy and Rose bit her lower lip as her pointer finger slipped a little off the mark, but she made it through the song and blushed when the Doctor gave her a boyish grin.

 

“Lovely,” he told her and Astra nodded in agreement.

 

“It was alright,” Rose replied as she lowered the violin and placed it carefully in the case. “I need more practice.” She held up her hand and wiggled her fingers. “Need to get these hands used to it.”

 

“And I have something for you too Daddy,” Astra announced, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a thick old-fashioned sort of envelope.

 

The Doctor took it with a quizzical look as Rose gently repacked the violin case and held it in front of her. Rose watched him as he quickly opened the envelope, eyeing Astra who just smiled serenely at him. Inside there was a piece of paper made of the same thick paper which the Doctor unfolded.

 

“Time-space coordinates?” the Doctor asked as he examined the series of circular marks that Rose recognized as Gallifreyan.

 

“Yeah, to someplace and time that I think you’re ready to go to,” Astra replied with a widening smile and a pointed look at Rose.

 

“Rose?” the Doctor breathed, his expression brightening and Rose reminded herself that it really was her putting that look on his face. “You mean-”

 

“I would suggest getting some rest first even if I know you won’t,” Astra laughed, but she nodded. “But yes Daddy, Happy Christmas. Just don’t forget to pick up Aunt Donna first.”

 

“I thought you weren’t expecting us here,” Rose gasped as she looked back at Astra, giving the Doctor a moment to catch his breath.

 

“I didn’t know the time and place this would happen,” Astra replied, her eyes moving between them. “But I’ve had the envelope for a while now.”

 

“Are you sure?” the Doctor pressed his future daughter; about what Rose wasn’t completely sure.

 

“Please Daddy give me some credit,” Astra pouted slightly though she couldn’t hold her smirk back for long. “I am a Time Lady.”

 

The Doctor gaped at her, the look of utter shock back on his face. Astra’s smile softened and she stepped over to Rose, opening her arms and Rose stepped forward to hug her. She placed her free hand on the back of her daughter’s back and felt the faint double heartbeat, wondering once again how she’d ever missed it. Astra let Rose hold for a long moment as the Doctor watched in stunned silence before Rose released her. Astra looked back at her father before moving forward and giving him a quick hug. The Doctor automatically returned it and Astra chuckled warmly at him, leaning up to kiss his cheek quickly.

 

“Happy Christmas Mummy and Daddy,” Astra said once again as she moved away from the Doctor. She gave Rose a warm look and waved a little before snapping her fingers. The doors of her TARDIS opened and Astra giggled at the look on her father’s face. “See you down the timeline.”

 

With that Astra vanished into her TARDIS. Rose shifted the violin case and stepped over to the Doctor. Taking his hand, Rose stood there next to him in silence as the familiar song of a TARDIS filled the alley and Astra’s TARDIS vanished. She looked over at the Doctor only to find a vulnerable look on his face. Rose leaned against his shoulder, keeping her fingers tightly entwined.

 

After some time, the Doctor finally started moving again. He kept a tight hold of Rose’s hand while still grasping the paper that Astra had given him in his other hand. The Doctor led Rose out of the alley and back to the square. The celebrations were still going on, though muted, but seemed to be regaining energy as the people realized that the danger had passed. She glanced around to take everything in, but the Doctor still seemed to be in a trance. Soon enough they were back at the TARDIS and with a frown, the Doctor paused and snapped his fingers. The doors of the TARDIS swung open and he chuckled softly while Rose wondered why Astra had even bothered with her key before. Perhaps so as not to overwhelm her father all at once.

 

They stepped inside and the Doctor exhaled slowly. Rose gently set the violin case down by the door and noted that the Doctor wasn’t moving to take off his coat. Instead, he kept hold of her hand as he moved up to the console. He placed the paper with the coordinates down on the console by the monitor and stared at it in silence for a long moment. Then he released her hand and it fell limply to her side. Taking a deep breath, Rose straightened up as the Doctor turned to face her.

 

“Rose I-”

 

“It’s time,” Rose told him softly with a nod. “I’ll miss you of course,” she assured him with a soft laugh. “But… this is my last year on Earth. I’m finishing school and hopefully easing UNIT out of depending on me.” She held out her hand to him and breathed, “Forwards.”

 

“Forwards,” the Doctor agreed, squeezing her hand. “Happy Christmas, Rose.”

 

“Happy Christmas,” Rose returned before stepping up to the Doctor and leaning up to breathe his real name into his ear.

 

The Doctor released her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist as he laughed and pulled down the lever, sending them into the vortex and hurtling forward.

**Author's Note:**

> My second book The Iron Gate is on sale now with Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Kobo.


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